An extract of the indigenous plant jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) was used to produce calcite, an effective biomaterial. The formation of calcite using this extract was compared, under stable conditions, to that using commercially available purified urease. Xray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were employed to elucidate the mechanism of calcite formation from the crude plant extracts. The results revealed that urease in the jack bean crude extracts catalyzed the hydrolysis of urea in liquid-state cultures. The procedure described herein is a simple and useful method of calcite mineral precipitation that does not require cultivation of microorganisms or further purification of crude extracts. This study suggests that crude extracts of Canavalia ensiformis have the potential to be used in place of purified forms of urease during remediation of cracks and to increase the strength of materials. . "The transformation of vaterite to calcite: Effect of the conditions of the solutions in contact with the mineral phase.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations鈥揷itations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.